Heaven scent

Perfume can be tricky. So full of promise and pretty packaging, so festive and alluring, yet notoriously hard to get right - for yourself, let alone anyone else. Golden rule number one: don't be fooled by appearances. As James Craven, adviser to the specialist perfumery Les Senteurs, says, 'Looks should always be a secondary consideration. You can buy the most beautiful looking bottle in the world, but what's the point when you don't like what's inside?' Exactly, which is why you should treat those more complex heavyweight classics with caution. Better, then, to aim for the slew of pretty-scented bath and body oils, which are much less overwhelming. And don't assume you have to opt for musk and spice because it's Christmas; the fruitier colognes are easier to get right all year round. 'It's rare to find someone who doesn't like the citruses,' Craven says. 'As soon as you bring in the big guns, the heavy orientals, you arouse violent antipathies in people.' If that all seems a bit scary, stick to scented candles instead.